Comments on: Reader Story: Learning to Read the Fine Printhttp://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2010/05/16/reader-story-learning-to-read-the-fine-print/
Common sense advice on money saving tips, how to get out of debt, high interest savings accounts, cd rates, money market accounts, mortgage rates, money management and more.Sun, 02 Aug 2015 22:20:27 +0000hourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1By: LaVonnehttp://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2010/05/16/reader-story-learning-to-read-the-fine-print/comment-page-2/#comment-463071
LaVonneThu, 20 May 2010 19:27:21 +0000http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/?p=22621#comment-463071Gym memberships are the absolute worst and I will never join another commercial gym ever! We had a similar situation with Ballys. We moved from Dallas to Phoenix, where the nearest one was about 40 miles away, but the contract said it had to be 50 miles to get out of it! We were having the dues deducted directly from our bank account, which we closed when we moved. It's been over 10 years now and we still get collection letter from them!
We have joined our local Y and unjoined a couple of times based upon our financial situation and it has never been a problem.Gym memberships are the absolute worst and I will never join another commercial gym ever! We had a similar situation with Ballys. We moved from Dallas to Phoenix, where the nearest one was about 40 miles away, but the contract said it had to be 50 miles to get out of it! We were having the dues deducted directly from our bank account, which we closed when we moved. It’s been over 10 years now and we still get collection letter from them!

We have joined our local Y and unjoined a couple of times based upon our financial situation and it has never been a problem.

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]]>By: Natehttp://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2010/05/16/reader-story-learning-to-read-the-fine-print/comment-page-2/#comment-461771
NateThu, 20 May 2010 04:51:56 +0000http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/?p=22621#comment-461771Joel-
You are awesome. I'm glad you're a good sport about this. I would still be royally pissed off. Great blog!Joel-

You are awesome. I’m glad you’re a good sport about this. I would still be royally pissed off. Great blog!

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]]>By: Matthttp://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2010/05/16/reader-story-learning-to-read-the-fine-print/comment-page-2/#comment-459031
MattTue, 18 May 2010 16:26:02 +0000http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/?p=22621#comment-459031@ DK -
If possible, get it in both languages. If that's not possible, I'd try to get either an independent translator you hire and pay or a friend who is good at translation to go over it.
Either way, I wouldn't worry about it quite as much with a contract in China (I'm assuming that's where you are?). Contracts there don't tend to carry the same amount of weight as they do here - especially business contracts. Sure, someone might still try to take more of your money (or deliver less for it) than you wanted, but chances are they're not going to use the fine print to do so.@ DK –

If possible, get it in both languages. If that’s not possible, I’d try to get either an independent translator you hire and pay or a friend who is good at translation to go over it.

Either way, I wouldn’t worry about it quite as much with a contract in China (I’m assuming that’s where you are?). Contracts there don’t tend to carry the same amount of weight as they do here – especially business contracts. Sure, someone might still try to take more of your money (or deliver less for it) than you wanted, but chances are they’re not going to use the fine print to do so.

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]]>By: DKhttp://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2010/05/16/reader-story-learning-to-read-the-fine-print/comment-page-2/#comment-458481
DKTue, 18 May 2010 11:43:46 +0000http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/?p=22621#comment-458481What if the contract is in Chinese and you have a "translator" read it for you? Would you still sign it?What if the contract is in Chinese and you have a “translator” read it for you? Would you still sign it?

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]]>By: Kim @Moneyandriskhttp://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2010/05/16/reader-story-learning-to-read-the-fine-print/comment-page-2/#comment-457651
Kim @MoneyandriskTue, 18 May 2010 01:02:34 +0000http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/?p=22621#comment-457651Joel,
Great job of explaining your story. Your cautionary tale is something everyone should remember. There is a lot more that people sign automatically without thinking. This includes services on the internet.Joel,

Great job of explaining your story. Your cautionary tale is something everyone should remember. There is a lot more that people sign automatically without thinking. This includes services on the internet.

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]]>By: Tracyhttp://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2010/05/16/reader-story-learning-to-read-the-fine-print/comment-page-2/#comment-457271
TracyMon, 17 May 2010 21:31:18 +0000http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/?p=22621#comment-457271Thanks for the reminder to disregard any sense of awkwardness about reading contacts carefully before signing. If someone is asking for my money, I need to give it on my terms.Thanks for the reminder to disregard any sense of awkwardness about reading contacts carefully before signing. If someone is asking for my money, I need to give it on my terms.

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]]>By: Stellahttp://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2010/05/16/reader-story-learning-to-read-the-fine-print/comment-page-2/#comment-457141
StellaMon, 17 May 2010 20:31:37 +0000http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/?p=22621#comment-457141I have an even more frustrating gym membership experience. I signed up with a location that was near to my work--got a great deal on a year's membership by paying in advance.
Then the gym closed down.
Fortunately, I ended up moving and there was another location near my new residence. Hurrah!
Then THAT location closed down.
Sigh...I have an even more frustrating gym membership experience. I signed up with a location that was near to my work–got a great deal on a year’s membership by paying in advance.

Then the gym closed down.

Fortunately, I ended up moving and there was another location near my new residence. Hurrah!

Then THAT location closed down.

Sigh…

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]]>By: Debbie Mhttp://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2010/05/16/reader-story-learning-to-read-the-fine-print/comment-page-2/#comment-457001
Debbie MMon, 17 May 2010 20:00:47 +0000http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/?p=22621#comment-457001I got my mortgage papers ahead of time to read, which was really great. I had several questions ready when I arrived and I think I even had to make an alteration or two.
I did once have a gym contract that promised my fees would never go up. Then they got bought out by another company. The other company said they would honor that contract. Then they started adding wording that they could raise the rates next time, and I kept making them cross it out. Finally, one year they wouldn’t cross it out, and that was my last year with them. My two friends I was going with just paid the extra for a while before they quit.
I would like to say I always read the contract. For short things on receipts, I make a little joke out of it, “You mean I have to promise to PAY for this?” On some of these internet things where you have to read pages and pages of crap about promising not to spam everyone or use cuss words or change the programming to make money for yourself, etc., I just can’t stand to do it. I have the same problem with a lot of user manuals where they tell you OVER and OVER not to plug it in while you are in the shower and not to eat it while it is on fire and whatever wacky stuff some imbecile has sued them over.
I've never had to deal with the black box thing--I think I might just turn around and leave.I got my mortgage papers ahead of time to read, which was really great. I had several questions ready when I arrived and I think I even had to make an alteration or two.

I did once have a gym contract that promised my fees would never go up. Then they got bought out by another company. The other company said they would honor that contract. Then they started adding wording that they could raise the rates next time, and I kept making them cross it out. Finally, one year they wouldn’t cross it out, and that was my last year with them. My two friends I was going with just paid the extra for a while before they quit.

I would like to say I always read the contract. For short things on receipts, I make a little joke out of it, “You mean I have to promise to PAY for this?” On some of these internet things where you have to read pages and pages of crap about promising not to spam everyone or use cuss words or change the programming to make money for yourself, etc., I just can’t stand to do it. I have the same problem with a lot of user manuals where they tell you OVER and OVER not to plug it in while you are in the shower and not to eat it while it is on fire and whatever wacky stuff some imbecile has sued them over.

I’ve never had to deal with the black box thing–I think I might just turn around and leave.

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]]>By: patientgirlhttp://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2010/05/16/reader-story-learning-to-read-the-fine-print/comment-page-2/#comment-456811
patientgirlMon, 17 May 2010 18:59:48 +0000http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/?p=22621#comment-456811@ #25 Dotty Dot Dot
I worked for a Canadian retailer dealing phones for a couple of years. Your scenario is pretty standard when it comes to dealing with Rogers. I had one customer who moved to the U.S. and bought the first generation I-Phone while there. He ended up moving back to Canada, and brought his phone. Because the phone was SIM card activated and un-locked, he could only use Rogers in Canada (as they were the only ones using that technology other than Virgin and Fido - neither had local numbers in our rural area). I told him that he could use the phone as a PHONE, but would not be able to use it for internet access unless he was using it with Wi-Fi (I'd had previous experience TRYING to set up the original I-Phone - this was before it was brought into Canada under Canadian carriers). He asked me to double-check, because what's the point of using an I-Phone without internet. We called customer service and the dealer help-lines, and were told by 4 different people that it would work (the techs said the problems had been worked out), and 1 person that it wouldn't. We set the phone up, we picked a plan, we entered all his personal information, he paid the deposit of $400 with his credit card - direct to Rogers (bad credit means a deposit with them), and signed his 3 year contract. He was all ready to go. We turned the phone on with his new SIM card. No internet. This might not have been a big issue for him, had we lived in a town/city that actually uses Wi-Fi or has it readily available. We don't. So, we called Rogers back. We told them the situation. They said he can cancel the contract within the first 24 hours as long as the phone hasn't been used. The issue? They refused to refund his $400 deposit right away. Also, they had charged his card automatically for his first month of usage. They would have to send him a cheque. It took a month for him to get his money back, at which time he came back into the store to thank me for trying to warn him. He also bought a prepaid Bell phone from me. Lesson learned.@ #25 Dotty Dot Dot

I worked for a Canadian retailer dealing phones for a couple of years. Your scenario is pretty standard when it comes to dealing with Rogers. I had one customer who moved to the U.S. and bought the first generation I-Phone while there. He ended up moving back to Canada, and brought his phone. Because the phone was SIM card activated and un-locked, he could only use Rogers in Canada (as they were the only ones using that technology other than Virgin and Fido – neither had local numbers in our rural area). I told him that he could use the phone as a PHONE, but would not be able to use it for internet access unless he was using it with Wi-Fi (I’d had previous experience TRYING to set up the original I-Phone – this was before it was brought into Canada under Canadian carriers). He asked me to double-check, because what’s the point of using an I-Phone without internet. We called customer service and the dealer help-lines, and were told by 4 different people that it would work (the techs said the problems had been worked out), and 1 person that it wouldn’t. We set the phone up, we picked a plan, we entered all his personal information, he paid the deposit of $400 with his credit card – direct to Rogers (bad credit means a deposit with them), and signed his 3 year contract. He was all ready to go. We turned the phone on with his new SIM card. No internet. This might not have been a big issue for him, had we lived in a town/city that actually uses Wi-Fi or has it readily available. We don’t. So, we called Rogers back. We told them the situation. They said he can cancel the contract within the first 24 hours as long as the phone hasn’t been used. The issue? They refused to refund his $400 deposit right away. Also, they had charged his card automatically for his first month of usage. They would have to send him a cheque. It took a month for him to get his money back, at which time he came back into the store to thank me for trying to warn him. He also bought a prepaid Bell phone from me. Lesson learned.

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]]>By: Thisiswhyubroke.com!http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2010/05/16/reader-story-learning-to-read-the-fine-print/comment-page-2/#comment-456771
Thisiswhyubroke.com!Mon, 17 May 2010 18:44:06 +0000http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/?p=22621#comment-456771Great way to get a tough cheap lesson in finance before you were forced to get an expensive one down the road!
http://thisiswhyubroke.wordpress.com
"Because credit crack is wack"Great way to get a tough cheap lesson in finance before you were forced to get an expensive one down the road!

]]>By: Neel Kumarhttp://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2010/05/16/reader-story-learning-to-read-the-fine-print/comment-page-2/#comment-456701
Neel KumarMon, 17 May 2010 18:13:46 +0000http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/?p=22621#comment-456701When I was looking to buy a house in SF Bay Area, I liked my realtor for the advice she gave. But what made me love her was that at the closing, she insisted that I read each and every single line in the HUGE contract and ask the escrow agent any question I have. When she felt that I might balk at that, she said "It is a ton of money you are spending. The escrow agent is getting a HUGE fee from you. Don't act cool and then later regret that you did not ask questions or correct things". The realtor sat with me and make sure I saw every little detail (my name was mangled in a couple of places) and the entire process took over 2 hours but I am so glad that I understood the contract so clearly...When I was looking to buy a house in SF Bay Area, I liked my realtor for the advice she gave. But what made me love her was that at the closing, she insisted that I read each and every single line in the HUGE contract and ask the escrow agent any question I have. When she felt that I might balk at that, she said “It is a ton of money you are spending. The escrow agent is getting a HUGE fee from you. Don’t act cool and then later regret that you did not ask questions or correct things”. The realtor sat with me and make sure I saw every little detail (my name was mangled in a couple of places) and the entire process took over 2 hours but I am so glad that I understood the contract so clearly…

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]]>By: csoakleyhttp://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2010/05/16/reader-story-learning-to-read-the-fine-print/comment-page-2/#comment-456691
csoakleyMon, 17 May 2010 18:13:35 +0000http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/?p=22621#comment-456691@Nicole (#10)
I had the same thing happen to me when I cancelled my YMCA membership. They charged me for the next 30 days.@Nicole (#10)

I had the same thing happen to me when I cancelled my YMCA membership. They charged me for the next 30 days.

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]]>By: Joel | Blog Of Impossible Thingshttp://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2010/05/16/reader-story-learning-to-read-the-fine-print/comment-page-2/#comment-456611
Joel | Blog Of Impossible ThingsMon, 17 May 2010 17:48:35 +0000http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/?p=22621#comment-456611@partgypsy
I tried that route. They said they could only suspend my membership AFTER they had charged me for the month and a half that I wasn't going to use the gym but still had to pay for. When I go back to Chicago I'll find another gym. My new gym membership here doesn't have any of the fine print policies.
@questioner
I picked THIS gym just for the pool. I work out quite a bit, but I needed a gym WITH a pool. It was between Lifetime & another local gym and I went with Lifetime because of the promotional offer - big mistake =)@partgypsy
I tried that route. They said they could only suspend my membership AFTER they had charged me for the month and a half that I wasn’t going to use the gym but still had to pay for. When I go back to Chicago I’ll find another gym. My new gym membership here doesn’t have any of the fine print policies.

@questioner
I picked THIS gym just for the pool. I work out quite a bit, but I needed a gym WITH a pool. It was between Lifetime & another local gym and I went with Lifetime because of the promotional offer – big mistake =)

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]]>By: Sharahttp://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2010/05/16/reader-story-learning-to-read-the-fine-print/comment-page-1/#comment-456501
SharaMon, 17 May 2010 16:55:40 +0000http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/?p=22621#comment-456501Am I the only one bothered by signing a black box with a contract on a completely different machine? I understand that there have probably been all sorts of tests on these sort of things and forgery/fraud happen on paper copies, but this practice of "Of COURSE that is what you're really signing" without some indication on the signature pad has always made me quite nervous.Am I the only one bothered by signing a black box with a contract on a completely different machine? I understand that there have probably been all sorts of tests on these sort of things and forgery/fraud happen on paper copies, but this practice of “Of COURSE that is what you’re really signing” without some indication on the signature pad has always made me quite nervous.

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]]>By: Richard @ Debt Assistance Guruhttp://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2010/05/16/reader-story-learning-to-read-the-fine-print/comment-page-1/#comment-456491
Richard @ Debt Assistance GuruMon, 17 May 2010 16:43:32 +0000http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/?p=22621#comment-456491Oh boy have I been here?!
I worked for a company once upon a time which offered a seriously discounted cell phone contract for their employees. When you left you either cancelled the contract or moved it across into your own name and then paid for a standard tariff.
People were used to my number so I decided to keep it when I left.
Then a bill came through for around $600. What?!
Turns out that the fine print said that if you left you also had to pay the full price for the handset they had given you! No mention of this when we all signed up, no mention when I left, no mention when I spoke to them to change it all over.
I'm afraid it *was* in the fine print so I had to pay it but it was an excellent lesson in paying more attention to the fine print (and on how cell phone providers rip you off!)Oh boy have I been here?!

I worked for a company once upon a time which offered a seriously discounted cell phone contract for their employees. When you left you either cancelled the contract or moved it across into your own name and then paid for a standard tariff.

People were used to my number so I decided to keep it when I left.

Then a bill came through for around $600. What?!

Turns out that the fine print said that if you left you also had to pay the full price for the handset they had given you! No mention of this when we all signed up, no mention when I left, no mention when I spoke to them to change it all over.

I’m afraid it *was* in the fine print so I had to pay it but it was an excellent lesson in paying more attention to the fine print (and on how cell phone providers rip you off!)

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]]>By: jeffeb3http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2010/05/16/reader-story-learning-to-read-the-fine-print/comment-page-1/#comment-456421
jeffeb3Mon, 17 May 2010 16:06:18 +0000http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/?p=22621#comment-456421Some contracts have terms in them that are not legal. I bet this isn't one of them, but people should know that even if you sign a contract, you are not 100% stuck with it. For example, a contract for indentured servitude would never hold up. Even if you agree to it, and sign it, it still needs to be legal.
Your cancellation policy is probably legal, but it's a bit predatory, and there may be some wiggle room. For this reason, you can sometimes still haggle over these fines.
Another good example is a waiver of liability. I sign these all the time, but if I did get injured, and I thought the business was responsible, you can bet I would look into getting justified compensation. You can't sign away all your rights...Some contracts have terms in them that are not legal. I bet this isn’t one of them, but people should know that even if you sign a contract, you are not 100% stuck with it. For example, a contract for indentured servitude would never hold up. Even if you agree to it, and sign it, it still needs to be legal.

Your cancellation policy is probably legal, but it’s a bit predatory, and there may be some wiggle room. For this reason, you can sometimes still haggle over these fines.

Another good example is a waiver of liability. I sign these all the time, but if I did get injured, and I thought the business was responsible, you can bet I would look into getting justified compensation. You can’t sign away all your rights…

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]]>By: questionerhttp://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2010/05/16/reader-story-learning-to-read-the-fine-print/comment-page-1/#comment-456241
questionerMon, 17 May 2010 15:05:34 +0000http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/?p=22621#comment-456241Chicago has plenty of public pools for lap swimming, triathlon training, etc. You could just use one of those facilities and skip the gym expense entirely.
Why did you choose to join a gym just for a pool?Chicago has plenty of public pools for lap swimming, triathlon training, etc. You could just use one of those facilities and skip the gym expense entirely.

Why did you choose to join a gym just for a pool?

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]]>By: partgypsyhttp://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2010/05/16/reader-story-learning-to-read-the-fine-print/comment-page-1/#comment-456221
partgypsyMon, 17 May 2010 15:02:04 +0000http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/?p=22621#comment-456221I am still confused why if you are only moving for 3 months, that you are cancelling the (Chicago) gym membership. Won't you have the same problem 3 months from now? What I would have asked for, is simply if they could suspend your membership for 3 months while in another city, and tack those 3 months on the end. They may have preferred to do that than lose you as a customer.I am still confused why if you are only moving for 3 months, that you are cancelling the (Chicago) gym membership. Won’t you have the same problem 3 months from now? What I would have asked for, is simply if they could suspend your membership for 3 months while in another city, and tack those 3 months on the end. They may have preferred to do that than lose you as a customer.

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]]>By: Morganhttp://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2010/05/16/reader-story-learning-to-read-the-fine-print/comment-page-1/#comment-456131
MorganMon, 17 May 2010 13:59:52 +0000http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/?p=22621#comment-456131Not only should you read the contract but when you give your 30 days notice you should get something in writing then, at very least get the persons name that you gave notification to!
Most gyms WILL continue to bill you and say it is a "mistake" when you catch on. Then it will take 60-90 days to sort out the refund while they bank on you again forgetting about it etc...
Same thing with cell phones and any other contract driven service. It takes getting burned once for everyone to learn this lesson.
This is a very important post because most service contracts will have something catchy in them.Not only should you read the contract but when you give your 30 days notice you should get something in writing then, at very least get the persons name that you gave notification to!

Most gyms WILL continue to bill you and say it is a “mistake” when you catch on. Then it will take 60-90 days to sort out the refund while they bank on you again forgetting about it etc…

Same thing with cell phones and any other contract driven service. It takes getting burned once for everyone to learn this lesson.

This is a very important post because most service contracts will have something catchy in them.

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]]>By: MBirchmeierhttp://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2010/05/16/reader-story-learning-to-read-the-fine-print/comment-page-1/#comment-456071
MBirchmeierMon, 17 May 2010 13:38:04 +0000http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/?p=22621#comment-456071Sometimes reading the contract doesn't even save you.
At a different gym they had the 30 day cancellation policy as well, it was somewhat ambiguous as to whether or not the 30 days was to stop service or stop billing. I saw it and asked questions about what it meant. They assured that 30 day cancellation was for service, and if I went to cancel, I wouldn't have to pay for another month. When I finally went to cancel, and they swore up and down the wording was for billing and that they would never say it was for service.
While I miss the gym, don't miss the salesmen and the managers there.
-MBirchmeierSometimes reading the contract doesn’t even save you.

At a different gym they had the 30 day cancellation policy as well, it was somewhat ambiguous as to whether or not the 30 days was to stop service or stop billing. I saw it and asked questions about what it meant. They assured that 30 day cancellation was for service, and if I went to cancel, I wouldn’t have to pay for another month. When I finally went to cancel, and they swore up and down the wording was for billing and that they would never say it was for service.

While I miss the gym, don’t miss the salesmen and the managers there.

-MBirchmeier

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]]>By: erikahttp://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2010/05/16/reader-story-learning-to-read-the-fine-print/comment-page-1/#comment-456061
erikaMon, 17 May 2010 13:33:48 +0000http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/?p=22621#comment-456061I used to work at LA Fitness and we had a 60 day cancellation policy. Sales people were pretty upfront about it though, and every new member got a paper copy of their contract to take home. It may be different now - wouldn't surprise me if they use the "sign the black box" approach. They do have a nice membership freeze policy which would have worked well in your situation. You can freeze your membership and pay only $10 a month for an unlimited time. Great if you're away temporarily or injured or on a big project at work - and no need to pay the upfront fee to rejoin, just unfreeze and pay the regular monthly fee again.I used to work at LA Fitness and we had a 60 day cancellation policy. Sales people were pretty upfront about it though, and every new member got a paper copy of their contract to take home. It may be different now – wouldn’t surprise me if they use the “sign the black box” approach. They do have a nice membership freeze policy which would have worked well in your situation. You can freeze your membership and pay only $10 a month for an unlimited time. Great if you’re away temporarily or injured or on a big project at work – and no need to pay the upfront fee to rejoin, just unfreeze and pay the regular monthly fee again.

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]]>By: lanniehttp://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2010/05/16/reader-story-learning-to-read-the-fine-print/comment-page-1/#comment-455911
lannieMon, 17 May 2010 07:51:32 +0000http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/?p=22621#comment-455911Yep, gyms are infamous for really bad conditions.
I will confess that a friend in Canada had me send a letter supposedly from her so the postmark proved she had moved - or they would not let her out of the contact. I'm in Australia. That was far enough for them ;)
But what gets me about this story isn't that they passed you the paperwork and didn't comment that you signed it without reading - they actively attempted to stop you reading the conditions by failing to present them.
Surely their are local consumer laws against that sort of thing?
Don't they HAVE to give you a copy of what you signed??
I'd definitely be doing a chargeback and I think a letter to Better Business (or local equivalent) is in order!Yep, gyms are infamous for really bad conditions.
I will confess that a friend in Canada had me send a letter supposedly from her so the postmark proved she had moved – or they would not let her out of the contact. I’m in Australia. That was far enough for them

But what gets me about this story isn’t that they passed you the paperwork and didn’t comment that you signed it without reading – they actively attempted to stop you reading the conditions by failing to present them.
Surely their are local consumer laws against that sort of thing?
Don’t they HAVE to give you a copy of what you signed??
I’d definitely be doing a chargeback and I think a letter to Better Business (or local equivalent) is in order!

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]]>By: Rosahttp://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2010/05/16/reader-story-learning-to-read-the-fine-print/comment-page-1/#comment-455831
RosaMon, 17 May 2010 04:05:31 +0000http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/?p=22621#comment-455831@Nicole - we had the same experience wtih our homeowners insurance right after we moved in. We kept getting these scary-sounding letters ("if this is not repaired in 30 days we will drop your coverage") on things that were just impossible - like repairing cracks in the sidewalk, in January, in Minnesota (I don't believe they saw any cracks anyway, since we had about 2 feet of snow and no amount of shoveling would make the concrete visible.)
We'd call our agent's office and be told, oh, that comes from corporate I can't tell you what it means or what to do about it...no, you can't call them, you have to send them a letter.
We ended up talking to the regional general manager, got a lot of gladhanding and assurances, but the letters kept coming...we just ignored them. If they'd dropped our coverage I would have gone to the state attorney general, though.@Nicole – we had the same experience wtih our homeowners insurance right after we moved in. We kept getting these scary-sounding letters (“if this is not repaired in 30 days we will drop your coverage”) on things that were just impossible – like repairing cracks in the sidewalk, in January, in Minnesota (I don’t believe they saw any cracks anyway, since we had about 2 feet of snow and no amount of shoveling would make the concrete visible.)

We’d call our agent’s office and be told, oh, that comes from corporate I can’t tell you what it means or what to do about it…no, you can’t call them, you have to send them a letter.

We ended up talking to the regional general manager, got a lot of gladhanding and assurances, but the letters kept coming…we just ignored them. If they’d dropped our coverage I would have gone to the state attorney general, though.

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]]>By: Leahhttp://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2010/05/16/reader-story-learning-to-read-the-fine-print/comment-page-1/#comment-455821
LeahMon, 17 May 2010 02:46:51 +0000http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/?p=22621#comment-455821y'know, some places even do this sort of crap on receipts. I guess, yeah, I should have read the details on the receipt before signing. But I got talked into a $700 pedorthic system called neovita once. I followed the directions and tried to work with the system. A week later and I was in tons of pain, so I took it back to return it. The manager said "well, the guy sold you the wrong stuff, so I'll return $200 worth. But the other $500 is medical stuff, so you have to pay a 50% restocking fee." This was in tiny print on the receipt I had signed. I was 21 at the time and just not schooled enough to think of reading through all that.
I still wish that I had just returned the damn stuff and eaten the fee. Or argued more. I finally threw the rest of the stuff in the trash a few months ago (6 years after the fact).
I now read every receipt, every lease, every everything. I too have had lots of sighing landlords. But, happily, I did once have a landlord that insisted on going through all the details with me. Turns out he used to work in tenants' rights and was super gung-ho that all his tenants be well-informed.y’know, some places even do this sort of crap on receipts. I guess, yeah, I should have read the details on the receipt before signing. But I got talked into a $700 pedorthic system called neovita once. I followed the directions and tried to work with the system. A week later and I was in tons of pain, so I took it back to return it. The manager said “well, the guy sold you the wrong stuff, so I’ll return $200 worth. But the other $500 is medical stuff, so you have to pay a 50% restocking fee.” This was in tiny print on the receipt I had signed. I was 21 at the time and just not schooled enough to think of reading through all that.

I still wish that I had just returned the damn stuff and eaten the fee. Or argued more. I finally threw the rest of the stuff in the trash a few months ago (6 years after the fact).

I now read every receipt, every lease, every everything. I too have had lots of sighing landlords. But, happily, I did once have a landlord that insisted on going through all the details with me. Turns out he used to work in tenants’ rights and was super gung-ho that all his tenants be well-informed.

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]]>By: Nicolehttp://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2010/05/16/reader-story-learning-to-read-the-fine-print/comment-page-1/#comment-455771
NicoleMon, 17 May 2010 01:30:40 +0000http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/?p=22621#comment-455771That's how it worked for me at Gold's - and the kicker was that we were in the gym, in person, and we couldn't cancel it there! We had to send a LETTER to the corporate headquarters in the midwest, which of course created further delay. I think we ended up paying for two more months after we had "canceled." Yes, it was in the contract which we had read, but it was our only choice of nearby gym and so there wasn't much we could do!That’s how it worked for me at Gold’s – and the kicker was that we were in the gym, in person, and we couldn’t cancel it there! We had to send a LETTER to the corporate headquarters in the midwest, which of course created further delay. I think we ended up paying for two more months after we had “canceled.” Yes, it was in the contract which we had read, but it was our only choice of nearby gym and so there wasn’t much we could do!

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]]>By: Brendahttp://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2010/05/16/reader-story-learning-to-read-the-fine-print/comment-page-1/#comment-455721
BrendaMon, 17 May 2010 00:28:04 +0000http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/?p=22621#comment-455721Oh man. Is this ever true. Hardly anyone reads the fine print.
In fact, a company called GameStation tried out a little April Fool's experiment this year. They put a clause in their fine print that THEY WOULD OWN THE CUSTOMER'S SOUL. You could 'opt out' (and even get a money voucher for doing so!), but since no one ever reads the fine print, 88 percent of the customers didn't bother. GameStation did give everyone back their souls (ok, silly), but the point is, no one reads the fine print, and they SHOULD.
http://newslite.tv/2010/04/06/7500-shoppers-unknowingly-sold.htmlOh man. Is this ever true. Hardly anyone reads the fine print.

In fact, a company called GameStation tried out a little April Fool’s experiment this year. They put a clause in their fine print that THEY WOULD OWN THE CUSTOMER’S SOUL. You could ‘opt out’ (and even get a money voucher for doing so!), but since no one ever reads the fine print, 88 percent of the customers didn’t bother. GameStation did give everyone back their souls (ok, silly), but the point is, no one reads the fine print, and they SHOULD.http://newslite.tv/2010/04/06/7500-shoppers-unknowingly-sold.html

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]]>By: jkhttp://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2010/05/16/reader-story-learning-to-read-the-fine-print/comment-page-1/#comment-455701
jkMon, 17 May 2010 00:24:30 +0000http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/?p=22621#comment-455701When my husband and I bought our house, we asked the lawyer handling the sale to provide us with a copy of the contract several days before the closing so we could read it thoroughly, and ask any questions ahead of time. He was happy to comply, but said no one had every made such a request before. We're middle aged, so by this point in life, we have had an experience or two like Joel, and know to read everything. Experience can be a great teacher -- better yet, learn from someone else's experience!When my husband and I bought our house, we asked the lawyer handling the sale to provide us with a copy of the contract several days before the closing so we could read it thoroughly, and ask any questions ahead of time. He was happy to comply, but said no one had every made such a request before. We’re middle aged, so by this point in life, we have had an experience or two like Joel, and know to read everything. Experience can be a great teacher — better yet, learn from someone else’s experience!

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]]>By: Stevehttp://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2010/05/16/reader-story-learning-to-read-the-fine-print/comment-page-1/#comment-455691
SteveMon, 17 May 2010 00:15:58 +0000http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/?p=22621#comment-455691Part of the reason that cell companies charge large cancellation fees is that they subsidize the phones. Though they do charge far more than what they are paying for the phones.Part of the reason that cell companies charge large cancellation fees is that they subsidize the phones. Though they do charge far more than what they are paying for the phones.